GardenMomiac: Thrillers, Fillers and Spillers
Last Saturday I attended a shade container gardening class at the Lincoln Park Zoo. We needed a large container garden for our front porch anyway, and I love supporting the zoo (all profits from the class were going back to support the zoo, a beautiful, FREE resource for anyone who wants to visit). Anyway, I made it out there at 9am on a chilly morning and ended up with the gorgeous pot you see above.
It was pretty neat, and I learned a lot of tips that I am sure I'll be able to use for future gardening endeavors:
- Remember to include Thrillers (the tall exciting plants), Fillers (the plants to fill the spaces) and Spillers (the plants that fall over the side of the pot)
- Use plants in odd numbers - it tends to look better
- Think pyramid when planning the shape of your container garden
- Over-stuff the container - if you want it to look full, plant it very full
- Using your hand, create a moat around the edge of your finished container. This will allow you to water it without making a giant flooded mess on your deck/porch
- Water the soil, not the leaves
- Water plants early in the morning or in the evening - plants respond better to water at those times
Has anyone else been gardening? I'm feeling kind of obsessed.
